Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Dez Bryant isn’t the only one confused about his situation. Bryant was pulled from the field shortly before the Ravens kicked off against the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, after testing positive for COVID-19. But in the subsequent days, Bryant has said he’s tested negative, though he was still put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
While there have been plenty of storylines regarding the NFL and COVID-19 this season, Bryant’s case has earned quite a bit more attention. His removal from the field just before a game mixed with some questions about the NFL’s transparency and contact tracing have only fueled speculation and intrigue. At a time when seemingly everyone is uneasy about the coronavirus and how it all works, Bryant’s story sticks out.
Though Harbaugh admitted the science behind it and the specifics of the NFL’s testing protocols are “out of his realm,” he did clarify the situation and gave a better breakdown of where Bryant stands in the process.
“He has had some negative tests,” Harbaugh said Saturday. “There’s a protocol that goes with that — a certain number of days that you have to test negative after a certain number of positive tests. He’s on schedule with that and that’s where it stands right now, he’s still on the COVID-19/Reserve list at this time.”
Though Bryant has been well behaved in Baltimore, his frustration is clearly growing and I can’t really blame him. By his previous tweets, Bryant had been in the dark about the protocols and why he was still out despite testing negative. Ultimately, that’s a breakdown somewhere in the process, seeing a player be uninformed about their own health and standing on the team as things happen around them. Considering Week 13 against the Cowboys was the most important game of the last few years for Bryant, and it was pulled out from underneath of him, I don’t think many people would blame him for being upset.
However, the good here is that, according to Harbaugh, Bryant has had several negative tests and is on schedule to return. When exactly that could be is still a giant question mark but it’s a step in the right direction.
